What do you think about cottage cheese?
I grew up in a household that didn't have any white foods as my mother couldn't stand them. When I started Trim Healthy in 2013, I noticed cottage cheese was used a lot so I started using it and found I LOVED it. I used it often, but through the years, I now reserve it for a treat because I am very dairy light. If dairy products agree with you, lean dairy can be a great fuel pull option or full-fat dairy will give you protein and healthy fats. If you can't have dairy, don't worry, I can help you with other options. 
Low-fat cottage cheese is an excellent protein source, and it's a fuel pull. There are so many creations you can make with this dairy protein.
If you don't like the texture of cottage cheese, I suggest blending it. You can blend it with handheld blender right in the container you buy it in and then the options are limitless with what you can do with it.
Cottage Cheese Protein Content:
The protein content can vary depending on the fat percentage.
Low-fat 1-2% is around 28 grams of protein per cup.
Full-fat 4% is slightly less protein at 25 grams per cup.
It is a complete protein source and rich in casein.
You can add a protein powder into your cottage cheese, especially if you only are using a half a cup of protein.
What are the benefits?
It’s low in calories and fat, high in protein, packed with calcium, and full of nutrients. It’s also a solid source of vitamin B12, selenium, riboflavin, phosphorus, and folate. Nearly 70% of the calories in cottage cheese come from the casein protein, which includes all of the essential amino acids the body needs for muscle growth and repair.
Plus, it’s slow to digest, so it can keep you feeling full for hours after you eat.
It’s also versatile – eaten alone, with fruit and nuts as a snack, or in recipes.
Many varieties also contain gut-friendly probiotics.
What should you look for?
I look for organic brands from grass-fed cows with few added ingredients. 1-2% or low-fat cottage cheese can be found without additives in brands like Nancy's, Good Culture and Friendship. If you are in a pause season, I recommend only Nancy's or Good Culture because they have cleaner ingredients and much better and higher counts of healthy microbes. These are more sour which sour means easier on your blood sugar. However, all forms of 1% cottage cheese are on the plan if they do not contain added sugar in the ingredients. The more sour the taste, the more your muscle cells will open to it and the fewer issues you'll have with insulin remaining in your blood stream. If you cannot find a 1% cottage cheese that fits your standards, some 2% cottage cheese are on the plan if they do not contain added sugar in the ingredients. Daisy is a brand that fits this.
Here is my favorite brand:
Good Culture
Nancy's Probiotic Low-Fat Cottage Cheese is another really healthy option.
If you are not using these top two or even if you are, I suggest amping up the sour by adding in lemons. Lemon causes them to act more like kefir and pushes the protein into your muscle cells far more effectively. Lemon with probiotic cottage cheese is a wiser option especially if you're having trouble losing weight.
Daisy is the brand I used when I started my journey.
This is Aldi's brand that Serene's children eat.
Fuel Pull Ideas with low-fat cottage cheese:
Cottage cheese with lime juice or lemon juice, Essentials, and a little Gentle Sweet.
Cottage Cheese with Tajin
Cottage cheese + 1 T Vanilla whey protein powder, or 2 T Optimized protein
Gentle sweet
Cinnamon
1 tsp crushed pistachios or nut of choice
Cookbook recipes:
Beat the Cheat Pizza (FP with S Options), THT, page 283
Cottage Citrus Dip (FP with E Options), THT, page 523
Kickin Dippin Sauce, Dip, or Dressing (FP) THT, page 518
Peanut Chocolate Whip (FP), THT, page 442
Lemon Lime Burst Whip (FP) THT, page 442
Quick Rip Hearty Kale Salad (E, with FP & S options, THT, page 308
Wonderful White Blender Bread (FP) THT, page 242
Quick Tuna Medley (FP) Original book, page 306
If you would like to learn more about foods, I have lessons like these in all of my health courses here:
Finishing Leviticus, Detoxing from Mold, and Eating for Health
I just finished reading the book of Leviticus, and one chapter that really stood out to me was Leviticus 14—the chapter that talks about mold. It describes how, if mold was found in a house, the priest had to inspect it. If it was spreading, the contaminated stones had to be removed, the house scraped clean, and if the mold returned, the entire house had to be torn down. Even back then, they understood how dangerous mold could be!
This hit home for me because I spent the past year detoxing from mold and environmental toxins. Mold exposure can cause chronic inflammation, brain fog, fatigue, hormone imbalances, and immune issues. The Israelites didn’t take mold lightly, and neither do I!
My Detox Journey
To help my body eliminate toxins at the cellular level, I used True Cellular Formula Detox to bind to and remove heavy metals, pesticides, biotoxins, mold, and other environmental chemicals that can burden the body. Detoxing is more than just a quick fix—it’s about supporting my body’s natural ability to cleanse and heal.
Leviticus doesn’t just talk about mold—it also outlines which foods are clean and unclean (Leviticus 11).
Prioritizing clean, whole foods
Eating meats that are properly sourced and digestible
Avoiding bottom-feeders and scavengers that store toxins
Choosing nutrient-dense foods that fuel my body wellLeviticus 14 reminds me that God calls us to be intentional about what we allow in our bodies and our environments. Detoxing from mold and focusing on clean eating has been part of honoring my health and restoring balance.
What did my cellular detox protocol look like?
I visited with an herbalist once a month (14 months so far) where I was monitored with these tests:
1: Urine test called Meta-Oxy Test Kit that measures cellular Inflammation and cell damage.
This test is used to detect neurotoxic effects caused by mold, heavy metals, chemicals and biotoxins.
3: Zyto Compass Scan
This tool provides insight into your body's health needs, even your emotional health and provides a list of herbs to take to heal your ailments.
(I had emotions show up that effected my health, and so in April, I will be offering an emotional detox, so contact me if you want in!)
4: Blood Work
These tests all monitored my process and listed what herbs I needed while I used True Cellular Formulas every day for a slow detox where it binds the toxins and helps remove them safely from the body. It cleansed toxins from my liver, kidneys, gut, lymphatic, blood and brain.
I started the detox to remove mercury from teeth fillings. (I have blogs about this) I was full of energy and life, felt absolutely amazing!! I was 49 and wanted my 50th to be in the best shape of my life! This year was way more involved than I could ever imagine because I experienced symptoms I have never had like brain fog, low energy, adrenal fatigue, urine issues all while I was removing toxins that I didn't even know I had. I'm thankful for this process as it's grown me in a whole new way that I can relate to ladies who have these symptoms. I believe in natural remedies first and that is why I chose this route. I will be sharing more of other things I've done daily to support the detox. I believe fully in health victories, especially when you're rooted in TRUTH!
Sending all my love,
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Blessings,
Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!
Here is what our Thanksgiving dinners have looked like the past ten years -- completely on plan and delicious!
Holiday celebrations are crossovers in our home served with fats and carbs in the same meal.
I hope this inspires you to stay on plan during the holiday!
Sipper:
Cranberry Wassail, Trim Healthy Cookbook
Appetizers:
Vegetable tray, Gwen's Greek dry mix in cream cheese and in Kite Hill dairy-free cream cheese, gouda cheese and Briana Thomas' meatballs with gouda cheese.
Vegetable tray, Gwen's Greek dry mix in cream cheese and in Kite Hill dairy-free cream cheese, gouda cheese and Briana Thomas' meatballs with gouda cheese.Gwen's Greek Dry Bulk Mix
World's Laziest Lasagna Skillet made as a dip for veggie tray without the spinach from Trim Healthy Table page 69.
Three different kinds of Smoked Gouda cheese with Gwen's Greek bulk dressing in cream cheese and Kite Hill dairy-free cream cheese.
Main Course:
This year was the first time my son supplied the turkey!
This year was the first time my son supplied the turkey!Kale, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, strawberries, feta cheese and walnuts sprinkled with super sweet.
Steamed Green Beans and Brussels Sprouts with butter and nutritional yeast.
Sweet potatoes served with butter and cinnamon.
Steamed Green Beans and Brussels Sprouts with butter and nutritional yeast.Sweet potatoes served with butter and cinnamon.Desserts:
Peanut Squares, Original THM book page 377
(If you would like more information, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to my Youtube channel!)
I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving surrounded by love and family.
I'm always here if you have questions about living the Trim Healthy lifestyle!
When it comes to oils on the Trim Healthy Mama Eating Plan, remember this:
Not all oils are made equal!
It is vitally important that you get your oils right because there's a whole list of oils that can really disrupt your well being.
First of all, it’s important to keep cooking oil smoke points in mind based on which type of cooking method you’re planning to use. Cooking oils with low smoke points can oxidize and break down under high heat, leading to the formation of harmful, disease-causing free radicals.
Therefore, when your recipe calls for frying, sautéing or roasting, it’s best to select a cooking oil with a high smoke point.
Meanwhile, healthy cooking oils with low smoke points can be used to top off cooked dishes or amp up the flavor of dips, spreads and dressings instead.
An easy way to remember this is to know which oils are good for cooking (in other words, heating up) and which are best used cold. For cooking purposes, you don't want to use an unsaturated oil, but rather one that is naturally saturated. The natural saturation of the fats protects the oil from going rancid. Oils like Coconut Oil, Butter, and Red Palm Oil are good examples. Other on-plan oils like Avocado, Grape seed, Olive, Sesame, and Sunflower oil are best used when cold.
When choosing an on-plan snack, this needs to be taken into consideration. An oil might be on-plan, but should not be heated up. Remember that BAKED is always better than FRIED, because then your chip does not get submerged into an oil. Here is a handy reference for which chips are on-plan:
Though this might seem like a small, unimportant detail, it does in fact make a big difference. Often times you may be eating on-plan but not seeing results. If you tighten up in the smaller details, you may just start to see much better results!
Did this help you? I do hope you will start seeing the results you are after!
Remember, if you need help or guidance, feel free to reach out!
Blessings,
